1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of computerized social networking, and more particularly to systems and methods for detecting undesirable friends in a social network user's friends list.
2. Description of the Related Art
An on-line social network (“OSN”) refers to a social structure of nodes each associated with a different person or organization. The interconnections of each node reflect direct relationships between the respective people and organizations such that the directness of a relationship between two persons or organizations associated with respective nodes can be summarized by the path of interconnections between the respective nodes. It can be reciprocal and symmetric, like friends, that are requested/accepted (e.g. Facebook), or it can be one-way and asymmetric where one person follows another person (e.g. Twitter). In this way, any one individual in an OSN can evaluate the number and quality of social relationships with others in the network, those relationships ranging from close familial bonds to casual acquaintances.
The advent of the global Internet has changed the way in which OSNs can be viewed. Originally, a mere visual tool describing a social phenomenon, computerized OSNs facilitate the recognition and expansion of OSNs among interacting users across the globe. Whereas geographic boundaries previously limited the extent and quality of a given OSN the global Internet enables limitless expansion of the OSN based upon a vast set of aware collaborators coupled by the fabric of computer communications.
Commercial computerized OSNs have become wildly popular in recent years—especially amongst the younger demographic. Examples include the MySpace™ computer socialized network maintained by MySpace, Inc. of Los Angeles, Calif., LinkedIn™ computerized business network maintained by LinkedIn Corporation of Palo Alto, Calif., and the Facebook™ computerized OSN maintained by Facebook of Palo Alto, Calif. Commercial computerized OSNs represent OSN services connecting users according to different types of interests in an aggregated view, and provide the ability to share a personal profile and communicate with other users in the OSN. Generally, computerized OSNs generate revenue through ad placements in the Web site. It also offers other functionality including messaging, chat, sharing of items (posts, pictures, videos, notes, comments, groups, events, location, and the like.
Generally, commercial computerized OSNs allow users to create individual profiles. Each profile can include visual materials such as photographs of the user and things relevant to the user. Each profile further can include textual materials such as lifestyle information, or general writings. Notably, users can friends. These friends can be specified manually by a given user and often represent the individuals most favored by the given user. Each of the favorite friends can be presented in the Web site so as to allow linking to a corresponding profile for the favorite friend. In this way, an end user literally can navigate the OSN for a given user.
The online OSN is accomplished in a variety of ways. Personal information is exchanged with one another through an Internet homepage, blog, Internet cafe (community), and the like, and people exchange opinions and information or chat with other people by means of emails, web bulletin boards, web memoranda, reply notes, chatting, and the like. On the other hand, a membership system maintained through a membership join and authentication process has put the OSN in order to some extent.
There is a problem with adding friends who are undesirable friends, particularly for children. One common mechanism for combating this problem involves members of law enforcement agencies and private vigilantes setting up bogus identities on the Internet and waiting to be contacted by delinquents. In the case of sexual predators, for example, members of a police department may set up a bogus identity as an inviting, under-age girl or boy, then wait for the predators to find them. Well-known implementations of this approach include efforts undertaken by perverted-justice.org, Shannen Rossmiller, and the television program “To Catch a Predator.”
A related approach is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0282623, entitled “Process for Protecting Children from Online Predators,” that provides a user interface that a human nanny can use to monitor what children are typing online. This manual approach does not permit detection of delinquents based on their input messages, but rather requires human monitoring and interpretation.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0033941, entitled “Verified Network Identity with Authenticated Biographical Information,” requires every user to send a biography. This biography is verified by running a background check that includes a criminal record analysis. The user can then connect to a limited number of OSNs. In addition to the disadvantages described above, a human has to be involved to check the biography, users will sacrifice privacy, and users are unable to access OSNs instantly, but rather have to wait months until background checking is conducted and incur significant cost.
Thus, there exists a need for a technique for detection of suspicious users of an online communication resource. There is a further need to provide systems and methods for detecting suspicious individuals on a friends list from OSN.